Farmers and Center Back at Negotiating Table!
Farmer Leaders, Centre Resume Talks in Chandigarh Over MSP Guarantee
A fresh round of negotiations between protesting farmers and a central delegation commenced Wednesday at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Public Administration in Chandigarh, focusing on demands like a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal arrived at 11:50 AM IST, joined by Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.
A 28-member delegation from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, represents the farmers. Pandher, speaking pre-meeting, expressed hope: “We’re here with a positive mind, expecting the MSP deadlock to break.” Dallewal, on an indefinite fast since November 26, 2024, arrived by ambulance, anticipating the Centre’s response to data farmers presented earlier.
This follows a February 22 meeting where the same ministers sought data supporting the farmers’ claim that an MSP law would cost Rs 25,000-30,000 crore annually. That discussion, building on a cordial February 14 talks led by Joshi, left issues unresolved after four inconclusive rounds in 2024. Farmers have camped at Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13, 2024, halted by security forces from marching to Delhi.
Beyond MSP, demands include debt waivers, pensions, stable electricity tariffs, case withdrawals, justice for Lakhimpur Kheri victims, Land Acquisition Act reinstatement, and compensation for 2020-21 agitation deaths. The talks, now in their seventh round per X posts, reflect a year-long standoff. Dallewal’s frail health adds urgency, as farmers press for concrete outcomes from a government they accuse of stalling amid rising agricultural distress.
